On Tuesday, June 26th, the House voted to approve Representative Jerrold Nadler's (D-NY) budget-neutral amendment restoring $2 million to the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA). HOPWA's Fiscal Year 2012 enacted level is restored to $332 million in the House for FY 2013. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, in which this amendment appears, next will have to be debated on the Senate's floor.

Below is the press release from representative's office on the passage of the amendment:

Washington, D.C. -- Tonight, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) successfully offered an amendment to increase funding for HIV/AIDS housing within H.R. 5972, the FY2013 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act. The amendment restores $2 million to the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program (HOPWA) to maintain current funding levels. Each million dollars spent through the program provides stable housing for 171 households.

"By restoring just $2 million to the HOPWA program, we can help provide stable, affordable housing for approximately 340 households grappling with HIV/AIDS," said Nadler. "My amendment will maintain funding for this vital program, and we will guarantee secure housing for another year for those living with HIV/AIDS. Nothing can be more important than keeping people in their homes and helping those struggling with disease to have a fighting chance."

HOPWA is a national safety net for people battling HIV/AIDS, providing housing support through competitive and formula grants to all 50 states. At any given time, one-third to one-half of all Americans with HIV/AIDS are either homeless or in imminent danger of losing their homes. Research shows that stable housing leads to better health outcomes for those living with HIV/AIDS.

This article was provided by AIDS United.
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